[Editorial] Zika’s emerging threat for the Asia-Pacific region

September 10, 2016

The Lancet 388, 10049 (2016)

Author: The Lancet

“Any time there’s disease in Singapore, we say that disease is hard to control”, said Tom Frieden the head of US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, when he expressed concerns about the surge of Zika virus infection cases in a country with a health-care system widely perceived as strong and efficient. The first locally transmitted Zika virus infection case was reported on Aug 27, but as of Sept 5, 258 Zika virus infections were confirmed by Singapore authorities. The Ministry of Health and National Environment Agency in Singapore have intensified mosquito vector control to reduce the spread of Zika virus, extended subsidies for the Zika test to all Singaporeans with Zika symptoms, screened close contacts of infected patients, and regularly reported new Zika virus cases.